Social Welfare Volunteer Roles

Volunteer your time at Hestia to make our gardens a beautiful place for adults and children to enjoy all year through! Are you green fingered and have a passion for gardens and outdoor spaces?

At Hestia we have gardens and outdoor spaces which require your support to bring these back to life by keeping them maintained. We are recruiting for volunteers to motivate and inspire staff and people living in our services to get involved in gardening.

What you will be doing

• Inspire and motivate staff and people in the services to get involved in maintaining and growing the garden
• To provide tips on how to maintain and grow the garden - sowing seeds, planting bulbs, taking cuttings
• Provide basic maintenance such as cutting the grass, emptying bins, managing weed control and leaf raking
• Lead in planting and nurturing new trees, flowers, and various plants
• Provide best practice on how to use the correct gardening tools
• Inspire people in our services and staff to maintain a clean garden
• Advise staff on the costs of plants and garden necessities

The skills you need

• A basic knowledge/ experience of plant care and use of gardening tools7
• Calm and patient approach
• Good communication skills
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that encourages learning and participation

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

We are recruiting for a volunteer to teach the Women at our Refuge martial arts. It is also an opportunity for children to attend the class and learn some basic techniques!

The discipline and training of martial arts can lead to physical, mental, and emotional benefits that can improve the quality of your life in countless ways. Martial arts can help reduce stress and anxiety and helps train your mind to keep focused whilst remaining calm and alert.

Practicing martial arts releases chemicals like endorphins that lift your mood and helps direct your energy towards something positive that you can build over time. It also strengthens your body, helps boost your self-esteem and helps you identify what you wish to improve in your life and gives you the confidence to make positive changes.

What you will be doing

• Coordinate and set up a weekly martial arts class for women and children
• Inspire and motivate women and children to take part in the sessions and take a role in planning/designing upcoming sessions
• Create a safe space for individuals to practice and learn new techniques through martial arts
• Encourage members of the group to connect and relate to each other through practicing together

The skills you need

• Qualified to teach martial arts
• Good communication skills
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that encourages participation
• Calm and patient approach
• Good sense of humour

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications.
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards, outings, celebration, and social events for our volunteers to get together and have some fun; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering.

Description

Our Talk and Support team is setting up a monthly telephone group for blind and partially sighted people who are interested in gardening. In the role of facilitator, you will contribute to the group to ensure that all participants feel comfortable and that the group runs smoothly. You will be: Helping to ensure that participants feel comfortable and facilitate discussion. Helping the group participants to feel safe to be in the group and enable them to join in the group discussion. Looking after participant welfare within the group and flagging any welfare or safeguarding concerns to Talk and Support for follow up.

How often will I be needed?

• 2 Hours per Month

Key requirements

• This role requires one reference.

We are looking for a volunteer to create and facilitate sessions and discussion groups with our volunteers and service users on a variety of subjects for our Learning and Development programme. You will work closely with the Volunteering Team to establish what volunteers and service users would like covered in the programme and then plan, organise and prepare a series of workshops. Some examples of popular sessions that have been held include confidence building, communication skills, presentation skills and more!

What you will be doing

• Create and facilitate workshops and discussion groups with our volunteers and service users on a variety of subjects for our Learning and Development programme
• With the support of the Volunteering Team establish topics for discussion
• Carry out research and prepare materials for the sessions

The skills you need

• Good communication skills
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that encourages learning and participation.
• Calm and patient approach
• Basic IT skills
• Experience in putting together and delivering workshops is desired but no essential

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

At MHA Communities East Surrey we support older people to live independently in their own homes and communities. We offer a variety of social activities and services for people aged 55 and over. We currently need Befrienders in Reigate, Horley, Banstead, Redhill and surrounding areas.

Some of our MHA community members are socially isolated and feeling lonely. As a Befriender you’ll be matched with a member and visit them regularly in their own home to bring friendship, company, and a chance to chat. You may also offer practical support such as; reading a newspaper or their favourite book or accompany the member shopping or to a recreational activity.

Benefits for you:

• Help improve the quality of life for older people
• Help reduce loneliness and isolation
• Support your community
• Keep socially active
• Be part of a friendly team

Skills and qualities are needed:

• Good communication and people skills
• Enthusiasm
• Patience, empathy and understanding of the needs of older people
• Reliable and punctual
• Clear sense of personal boundaries and maintain confidentiality
• A willingness to engage with training and development
• A good understanding of your personal strengths and limitations

Times and Commitment:

• Days and times are flexible and are based on your availability and the needs of the member.
• Each visit last around 1-2 hours
• We ask you to be able to commit on a regular basis
• We ask that you make a minimum of six months commitment to this role

Training, support and requirements:

• You need to be aged 18 or over
• A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and two character references are required
• We will provide you with a full induction for the role
• Training on safeguarding, health and safety and other training and updating of skills and knowledge relevant to the role as appropriate
• Ongoing support from a named contact
• Out of pocket expenses in accordance with MHA’s Expenses Policy

*Please note- we can only accept applications from volunteers who currently live in the UK

Volunteer your time at Hestia to make our gardens a beautiful place for adults to enjoy all year through! Are you green fingered and have a passion for gardens and outdoor spaces?

At Hestia we have gardens and outdoor spaces which require your support to bring these back to life by keeping them maintained. We are recruiting for volunteers to motivate and inspire staff and people living in our services to get involved in gardening.

Engaging in gardening has shown to have both immediate and long-term effects on mental health. Gardening for several hours has been known to reduce depression, stress and anxiety.

What you will be doing

• General maintenance of first floor conservatory garden
• Assisting with the maintenance of the Fish Tank
• Assisting staff to maintain the garden areas when needed

The skills you need

• Must be mobile; the garden is the top floor and there is no lift access
• Gardening experience
• Passion for gardening and helping others
• Collaborative, good team working and communication skills
• Experience using gardening tools and knowledge of plants and weeds is a plus

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

We are looking for volunteers to support our outreach team to build and establish positive relationships with women working on the streets. You will be supporting the team to provide practical support for women, this may include supporting women to access advice around housing and homelessness, sex health testing, substance misuse, physical and mental health, therapeutic services and obtaining essentials such as food and clothing and liaising with the police.

What you will be doing

• Offering support to those selling sex
• Providing information to people involved in sex work, around the support available such as health substance misuse support, access to benefits and finances and alternative employment.
• Building relationships, listening to people and providing a friendly conversation
• Support women to build confidence and develop strategies to put control, direction and purpose into their lives alongside team of outreach workers.
• Working with other agencies and community partners

The skills you need

• Good communication skills; good listening skills
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that supports building relationships whilst maintaining personal boundaries
• Calm and patient approach
• Willingness to work collaboratively with a range of external organisations.
• An interest to work and reach out to women involved in/affected by sex work.

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications.
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards, outings, celebration, and social events for our volunteers to get together and have some fun; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering.

Volunteer with us and become part of the #TeamBigC family.

Cancer affects us all in different ways. We know it can be difficult. Big C is here, across our county, to support anyone affected by cancer in any way.

We are currently looking for Volunteers to join our Support and Information team at our centre based in Kings Lynn.

Volunteers are an integral part of the day-to-day running of our Support Centres. Our Centres offer a variety of cancer-related information, a wide range of practical and emotional support, a place to relax with a cup of tea, and the opportunity to talk to the trained Centre staff if needed.

Volunteers can get involved with meeting and greeting visitors to the centre, providing a supportive and listening ear to our service users and making refreshments. 

Big C's Core Values are Respect Empathy Support Trust Honesty. They provide a benchmark for behaviour across the organisation. If you share these values and want to join a small, supportive and friendly team, please get in touch.

Location

King's Lynn Centre: Unit A, 17-19 Railway Road, Kings Lynn, PE30 1NF

Hours/Time Commitments

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Ideally, we would be looking for volunteers who could provide a commitment due to the training involved. We would love to hear from anyone who can offer a couple of hours a week or one day a month.

Benefits of volunteering with Big C

Volunteering with Big C will provide you with the opportunity to volunteer in a high-quality Cancer Support and Information Centre. The benefits of volunteering include:

• Improving the experience and lives of people affected by cancer.
• Experience a professional environment.
• Gain skills and practical experience with people who have been affected by cancer.
• Gain confidence
• Boost your career options
• Meet new people
• Opportunity to attend social events and be recognised for your contribution.

We will provide an induction into the Centre and its services, ongoing support from a named member of staff, and additional training as required for your role.

Recruitment Process

Application form, interview, 2 satisfactory references and a DBS check.

Big C are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults, young adults and children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This role requires an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and a barred list check.

We are recruiting for a volunteer to coordinate football sessions to support children and families get active, have fun, wiggle, jiggle and move together. Exercising helps strengthens bones and muscles, supports with mental wellbeing, increase self-confidence, self-esteem, and provides opportunities for children to make new friends, try out new sports, activities and learn new skills.

What you will be doing

• Coordinate weekly football sessions
• General knowledge about wellbeing and how football affects physical and mental health
• Support children to maintain their physical health through exercise
• Support children to play together and work as a team
• Keep a record of attendees, provide feedback, and report any concerns to the staff team

The skills you need

• A skilled and qualified football coach
• Good communication skills
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that encourages learning and participation
• Calm and patient approach

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards, outings, celebration, and social events for our volunteers to get together and have some fun; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering.

olunteer your time at Hestia to make our gardens a beautiful place for adults to enjoy all year through! Are you green fingered and have a passion for gardens and outdoor spaces?

At Hestia we have gardens and outdoor spaces which require your support to bring these back to life by keeping them maintained. We are recruiting for volunteers to motivate and inspire staff and people living in our services to get involved in gardening.

Engaging in gardening has shown to have both immediate and long-term effects on mental health. Gardening for several hours has been known to reduce depression, stress and anxiety.

What you will be doing

• General maintenance of first floor conservatory garden
• Assisting with the maintenance of the Fish Tank
• Assisting staff to maintain the garden areas when needed

The skills you need

• Must be mobile; the garden is the top floor and there is no lift access
• Gardening experience
• Passion for gardening and helping others
• Collaborative, good team working and communication skills
• Experience using gardening tools and knowledge of plants and weeds is a plus

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

Do you have the passion and commitment to support women experiencing Domestic Abuse to reach a place of safety? We are recruiting volunteers to support our Refuge Referral Line team, which supports women and children experiencing domestic abuse to find a safe, secure, and suitable refuge space across London.

You will join a team of trained staff and volunteers to support women to make a referral, and ensure they have the knowledge and are informed of the best options to reach safety. You will be supporting women and children to rebuild their lives free from fear!

What you will be doing

• Taking calls to assess the risks and needs of the women fleeing from domestic abuse whilst under supervision/guidance of the Referral Line Worker and the Service Manager
• To use a range of skills and tools to make phone conversations with women effective and empowering
• To provide women with knowledge of how to access refuge space and other types of support with the aid of a trained staff team
• General admin support: typing, taking notes, filing, scanning documents, keeping accurate records on our digitalised client management syste
• To develop positive relationships with staff members and women whilst promoting self-care
• Engage, support, and interact with women from a diverse range of needs and backgrounds

The skills you need

• A desire to provide support to women who are in crisis due to domestic abuse
• Always maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries
• Calm, patient approach with empathy and a willingness to listen without judgement
• To have a willingness to learn about supporting women impacted by domestic abuse with a diverse range of needs/ backgrounds
• Effective verbal and written communication
• Good time-management
• Experience of using email, internet, and other digital IT skills

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications.
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards, outings, celebration, and social events for our volunteers to get together and have some fun; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering.

Description

Our Talk and Support team is setting up a monthly telephone group for blind and partially sighted people who are interested in discussing mindfulness and wellbeing. In the role of facilitator, you will contribute to the group to ensure that all participants feel comfortable and that the group runs smoothly. You will be: Helping to ensure that participants feel comfortable and facilitate discussion. Helping the group participants to feel safe to be in the group and enable them to join in the group discussion. Looking after participant welfare within the group and flagging any welfare or safeguarding concerns to the Talk and Support team for follow up.

How often will I be needed?

• 2 Hours per Month

Key requirements

• This role requires one reference.

Do you enjoy meeting people and engaging with them? We are looking for volunteers to join our team to provide a friendly face as people arrive at our Services. You will support people to connect with others, make them feel welcome whilst assisting our staff to run services for people in crisis. Get in touch and make a difference!

What you will be doing

• Holding conversations with people using the Service, checking in on their wellbeing and providing a listening ear/friendly face
• Motivate and inspire people to take part in activities
• Support with ad hoc and administrative tasks to support the smooth running of the Service
• Opportunities to deliver activities alongside the staff team and other volunteers
• Work alongside staff to support people living in the service or accessing one of our drop-in sessions
• Welcoming and engaging people using the Service
• Support with preparing light refreshments to create a relaxed environment

The skills you need

• Good communications skills
• Ability to provide a supportive and inclusive atmosphere that encourages learning and participation
• Calm and patient approach
• Maintain discretion and judgement when dealing with sensitive and/or confidential information

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

We are recruiting for a volunteer who would like to play a role in helping others to express themselves through writing. Would you like to support others to use their imagination to portray a message?

Creative writing is a great way to express yourself using your own creativity and imagination through story telling or poetry. It is an opportunity to reflect on your own experiences and put it down on paper. Creative writing has been shown to improve emotional and mental well-being. Through creative writing, we can gain insight into our emotions, develop self-expression and communication skills, cultivate empathy and understanding of others, boost our imagination and creativity.

What you will be doing

• To prepare creative writing sessions, involving individuals in the planning process where possible
• Inspire and motivate individuals to develop and expand their capacity to think creatively, improve their ability to put their thoughts and feelings into writing and allowing others to find their voice
• Encourage individuals to continue independent activities
• Keep a record of attendees, provide feedback and report any concerns to the staff team

The skills you need

• Experience of creative writing either in a professional, educational or personal level
• Able to collaborate with individuals to plan creative writing sessions
• A calm and patient manner
• Ability to provide a supportive and inclusive atmosphere that encourages learning and participation
• Good communication skills

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications.
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards, outings, celebration, and social events for our volunteers to get together and have some fun; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering.